Underground
Lancaster, or ....
“It’s Hell Down There. By..... X And Y.
One mile of easy, walking size passages, in which, somewhere, was an old underground prison, and above lay some of Lancaster's oldest buildings. Between me and that an unlocked door, and fear. Well, you can always make an excuse for opening a door, so I looked around into the darkness of the night, listened......nothing. A quick move and Mr. X had gone underground.
THUD..THUD..THUD..THUD!!! What a hell of a heart beat. I was like a frightened fox. I now moved quickly up the 8' high and 4’ wide passage. After a few bends I realised that this passage continued for at least a mile under this part of town. What a system...Warm, dry as a bone.... OWWWW.... I had found a new ‘Cave’ danger. Red hot pipe burns. I now had to weave my way between hot and cold pipes which formed a barrier across the passage. Once past this I came to a new danger ---- my worst fear. I was not alone.
At the next corner there shone a light and there was the sound of workmen banging. I froze. I didn't dare go back, they would hear me, they would hop out of a manhole and wait till I got out.
Then I hit on a mad plan. Surprise. If I shot round to meet ‘em face to face I could run out before they recovered. It would be like STREAKING! People are too stunned to believe it. I did it (Not streaked) (Passed the corner I mean. There was....,. NOTHING. Nothing but a passage with lights on. I carefully went up to the next corner. Nothing. Then there was the sound of someone coming in...OH NO! I was now at a junction. I took the right hand turn. Walked quickly along till I arrived at an ‘Aven’. However, a good foothold and a 5O,OOO volt cable gave an easy way up. Above was a weird chamber, fully illuminated, with huge pipes, tables and chairs, but it was abandoned like the ‘Mary Celeste’. Somewhere here was the prison with its bars and chains for the prisoners. But tine was against me. After all, 1/3 mile of now system in your lunch hour isn't bad.
I quickly
returned back to the entrance door. A quick listen you don't know who might be
on the road outside and I was out. A strange figure went back to work that dark
December night, sweating cobs. A week later and the Second British Expedition
to Underground Lancaster had set off. Two people.., myself (Mr.X), and the mad caver Mr. Y. (X+Y = C (CHAOS))
The expedition set off at night and we were dressed for the trip. Thick woollies, trousers, wellingtons and leather gloves, not against the cold but burns from hot pipes This time fear made us approach the doors like war time commandos. Eyes seemed to be everywhere. We soon entered. More illuminated corners were met, still the bangs continued but the place was deserted. A sad mistake had been made. We had picked a freezing December night, but this had made the underground maze a man made hell. The pipes were too hot, even for leather gloves. The change from 35 degrees to 110 degrees F was too much. Sweat dropped like dripping taps. Y was ready to pass out. “What could it do to us” The answer lay at Y's feet. A cat. It may have been dead for 6 months or 60 years, everything on it was perfect, but it was as dry as toast - it was mummified by the heat. A quick trip to the south end was made, under hissing steam pipes.
We arrived at a strange wall that was black and framed. We stood against it, shone torches and looked. We saw people! It was a huge window onto the road. Luckily no-one saw us and we cooly carried on. Then a new shock came. Y's face froze into primeval terror. “They’re huge” he said. OH N0! had he seen the hundreds of rats that might live here? No. Far worse for him. The heat and food from above had bred monsters - huge cockroaches, spiders, bugs, twice normal size. Sickened we moved on. After a long time and a maze of passages had passed we eventually found ourselves going through a snail entrance into some bodies cellar. Full of shirts. This had been where the men of ‘P’ had secretly entered. Near here was the prison. However the suspected crawl to it was blocked. “Well, Y” I said, “I cannot stand the heat, there must be a way out of the far South", There it was, a ladder to a small door, unlocked. Beyond an outside doorway could be seen by a roadside. Where we were God knows. There is only one thing for it. A quick dash and run for it. I shot out like a. cat out of hail, only to find that I was in a corridor, lights on and coats in the room. I dashed for the door, it was locked. Too late. Y had thought that I had escaped and had dashed out. We were done for, trapped in a busy corridor, perhaps a security officers place. We dashed round corridors trying to escape but to no avail. A quick duet of our footprints and we were back to our underground.
We moved on. We arrived at a grid in the roof, easy to move, but at a doorway in use (even at 1a.m.)..... sense prevailed. Imagine.. . .Y's dirty hand emerging from the grid at the doorway and accidentally draping a passer by. Especially with a female it would be a real horror story.
Eventually, after a long time and Y had come to ignore the lights and banging of ghosts he was nearly caught by a real workman. However that's another story. At last, at 3 a.m. we emerged. Y determines never to go again but X determines to bypass the excessive heat passage (that really was unbearable) and explore the Far North country.
One night a pothole was found near a main road. A quick descent and into a door and the way to the Far North country was made. A sporting 12” squeeze between steam pipes lead into fine walking size passage that went up and down hills, up fine steps in a fascinating fashion.
Eventually a 10' by 4' passage led for 1/4mile in a dead straight line to the far north system. Even here the heat made ones footsteps vaporise in seconds. Eventually at the far end, past numerous cellars lay a section, which, although dry and man-made, was so like the Kingsdale Master Cave as to make me laugh! The end was finally reached, a brick wall. I returned, and when out to daylight, I was glad my curiosity was cured and a great system explored. But once is enough!
The footsteps ------- Contracting pipes!
